Chapter 6 Capturing the extent of Police Misconduct based on Ethnicity, Age & Gender
6.1 Ethnicity
6.1.1 Distribution of complainant’s race vs MOS (member of service)
6.1.1.1 Which race is complaining the most against an officer?
Most complaints against an officer come from a black individual. This is not surprising as blacks are persecuted significantly more than any other race. The number of complaints would be directly proportional to number of interactions.
Note: The numbers are rounded percentages of the race targeted by an officer i.e. vertically sum up to 100
It is also interesting to note that every complainant has a tendency to report against an officer of the same race.
6.1.1.2 Which race of officers are targeting an individual?
White officers have the highest complaints across all races. This could be due to the fact that there are more white officers in service than any other race.
Note: The numbers are rounded percentages of the officer races targeting an individual i.e. horizontally sum up to 100
6.1.1.2.1 Which officer race is targeting an individual?
x-axis : Officer’s race y-axis : Outcome of charges Faceting by complainant’s ethnicity
- Hispanic complaints are being unsubstantiated the most
- Complaints against Asian officers are substantiated at much higher rate. This could be an indication of racial bias against Asian officers in the department
6.1.2 Complaint Type vs Complainant Ethnicity
Black complainants are more concerned with the use of force or abuse of authority by an officer
Hispanic complainants have a noticeably higher ratio of complaints towards discourtesy
6.1.3 Board Disposition vs Complainant Ethnicity
The board disposition doesn’t vary much based on complainant’s race.
Note: We do see a slightly higher proportion of white complainant’s cases getting substantiated
6.1.4 Board Disposition vs Officer Ethnicity
A higher substantiation rate is noted against Asian officer confirming the bias against Asian members of service in the department.
6.1.5 Case Count on Officer Ethnicity
On an average, officers have 6 complaints against them during their service.
Presence of outliers is a major cause of worry with certain officers racking up 70 complaints.
6.1.6 Case Count on Officer Age
Higher cases are recorded against younger officers a maturity in the officer. Alternatively this could be a result of reduction in field work as an officer gets older.
6.2 Gender
Complaints from females are unsubstantiated more often indicating a gender bias.
In addition, complaints against female officers are substantiated at significantly higher rate.
This shows a strong bias against women both as complainant and officer from the NYPD
Faceting differently to make this bias more evident
6.2.1 Board Disposition vs Complainant Gender
6.3 Age
More complaints are noted from younger people
More complaints are noted against younger officers
6.3.1 Complaint Type vs Complainant Age-Group
- Complaints from younger people against younger officers are exonerated at a higher rate
Higher of use of force by an officer against teenagers
Older people have more complaints with offensive language and abuse of authority
6.3.2 Complaint Type vs Officer Age-Group
Use of force decreases as an officer gets older
Abuse of authority increases as the officer gets older
6.3.3 Board Disposition vs Officer Age-Group
Officers in the age group of 20-40 are exonerated more on average
Fewer unsubstantiated cases are noted for older officers
